The Broadway Musical Blog – Musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way
Dishing out daily (or almost daily) Broadway musical news and gossip. The companion site to The Broadway Musical Home (broadwaymusicalhome.com), a directory of Broadway musicals with the story, songs, merchandise, video clips, lyrics, tickets, rights & awards for almost 200 shows.Archive for Gossip
Bye Bye Birdie opens on Broadway tonight after a very rough final dress rehearsal
They say bad dress means a good opening. If that’s true, tonight’s performance of Bye Bye Birdie will tear down the house.
Bye Bye Birdie had a LOT of trouble at last night’s dress rehearsal when the electronically controlled set wouldn’t move off the stage for a full 20 min.
John Stamos, who’s playing Albert in the production, filled the time by calling out to audience members Don Rickles and Bob Saget. The former came up on stage and spoke through the mic rigged to Stamos’ forehead, saying, “I’m really glad your crotch is not miked.” Gina Gershon also came out and obliged the request to “do something from Showgirls” by performing the staple “jazz hands to the face” move.
Gotta love when things go wrong in live theater.
Be sure to send your love and “break a leg” wishes to the cast and crew!
RUMOR: William Finn and James Lapine working on a stage musical version of Little Miss Sunshine
William Finn (25th Annual Putnum Spelling Bee, Falsettos) and James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, 25th Annual Putnum Spelling Bee, Falsettos) are rumored to be working on a stage musical adaptation of the movie Little Miss Sunshine.
The hot new Broadway baby boy, Walker Diggs, has been born
This morning, Idina Menzel (Wicked, Rent) and Taye Diggs (Rent, Carousel) welcomed a baby boy, Walker Nathaniel Diggs to the world. “Mother, father and son are all doing well.”
Join me in congratulating this amazing Broadway couple!
More Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark gossip
Apparently the title character in Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark won’t sing: the Edge decided that “a guy singing in tights can’t happen.”
This, along with earlier comments such as: “It is much more like opera than a straight musical. We’re actually not calling it a musical for that reason because we don’t want to put people off;” makes me wonder what the Edge is doing writing a Broadway musical since he doesn’t seem to be a fan of the genre.
Is it necessary to love this stuff to make a successful show? Or will he have an advantage in trying to stretch musical theater in a new direction?
There’s so much drama associated with the show – we still don’t know how the Disney aquisition of Marvel is going to affect it. Will the Disney on Broadway franchise get involved or will they let Hello Entertainment keep at the forefront?
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the next slice of news about this problem-ridden, extremely expensive show.
RUMOR: Mandy Patinkin is looking to return to Broadway in La Cage aux Folles
According to the New York Post, Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin (Evita, Sunday in the Park with George, The Wild Party, The Secret Garden, Falsettos) is looking to take on the role of Georges in the transfer of La Cage Aux Folles.
Harvey Fierstein, who wrote the book for the musical, said of casting the role: “I can think of 20 people who could play Georges, and Mandy is right at the top of that list. First of all, he’ll sing those songs beautifully. Second, he’s a great actor. And third, I know how much he values his family, and that is what La Cage is really about—family.”
Casting is still unofficial … but we can only hope Mandy will be returning to the Great White Way!
RUMOR: Larry King’s Wife, Shawn King, Might Play Arachne in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
According to the New York Post, the wife of TV host Larry King, Shawn King, is one of two finalists being considered for the role of Arachne in Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark. Shawn, a country singer whose lucky number is 30, auditioned on June 30 at 3:30 pm with the songs “Turn Off the Dark” and “Rise Above.” Were she to land the role, the show would mark her Broadway debut.
A Vacation, A Rumor, A Cast Album and A Web Site Story
A Little Vacation for Hair star Gavin Creel
Tony Award nominee Gavin Creel just announced on his blog that he “will be off with the Creel Clan chilling by a lake in Michigan” from Aug 10-17 this summer, so if you head to Hair that week, you’ll be seeing understudies Jay Armstrong Johnson or Paris Remillard as Claude.
RUMOR: Stanley Tucci to direct T.R. Knight in Lend Me a Tenor
Entertainment Weekly claims that Gray’s Anatomy star, T.R. Knight, will play Max in the Stanley Tucci directed Broadway production of Lend Me a Tenor, but no official announcement about the production has yet been made. You can bet it’ll get posted here once it is.
A New Sondheim Cast Album!
The cast album for Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show arrives in stores today (check it out on iTunes now)!
The show, which made its world premiere Off-Broadway at the Public Theater last fall with a book by John Weidman (Pacific Overtures, Assassins, Contact) and a score by Sondheim (Company, Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd, Sunday in the Park with George) and is “the story of two brothers whose quest for the American dream turns into a test of morality and judgment that changes their lives in unexpected ways.”
John Doyle (Sweeny Todd, A Catered Affair, Company) directed the production, which featured Michael Cerveris (Sweeny Todd, Assassins, Titanic, The Who’s Tommy) and Alexander Gemignani (Assassins, Sweeny Todd, Sunday in the Park with George).
The CD features the complete cast of the original Public Theater production which also included Alma Cuervo, William Parry, Claybourne Elder, Aisha de Haas, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Mylinda Hull, Mel Johnson, Jr., Orville Mendoza, Anne L. Nathan, Tom Nelis, Matt Stocke, William Youmans and Kristine Zbornik.
Order the cast album on amazon.com
And just for fun…
Collegehumor.com has created a new web muscial called Web Site Story. It’s no Prop 8: The Musical…but has some pretty good lines. Check it out here.
Film to Broadway and Broadway to Film…
Broadway to the Silver Screen…
The Tony Award wining musical, City of Angles, with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by David Zippel and book by Larry Gelbart, is being adapted by the original librettist and lyricist for the silver screen. Barry Levingson (Wag the Dog, Rain Man, Bugsy) will direct and Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) will provide additional music and musical direction.
Films eyeing Broadway musical adaptations…
The same producers bringing City of Angels to Hollywood will be working the other way round as well – transforming Elf, the movie starring Will Ferrell, for the Great White Way, with a book by Thomas Meehan (Hairspray, The Producers) and Bob Martin (Drowsy Chaperone) and a new score by Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin (Wedding Singer). Workshopping soon, the show is hoping to hit Broadway during the 2010 holiday season.
And they’ve got plans to adapt another film, Secondhand Lions, which starred Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, for Broadway. With a book by Rupert Holmes (Edwin Drood, Curtains) and a score by Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary, the production will be directed by Matt August, appearing on Broadway in 2011.
Psst…Video previews of Catch Me if You Can, the musical
Found some footage of the new Catch Me if You Can musical on youtube and just had to share!
Aaron Tveit as Frank Abagnale, Jr
Norbert Leo Butz as Carl Hanrady
What do you think?
Hair hippies ringing the NYSE closing bell?
At 4 pm today the cast and producers for the Tony winning best revival, Hair, will ring the closing bell at the NYSE. It will be simulcast on the Times Square billboard and online here.
Something about the combination of hippies and stocks seems wrong. Next you’ll tell me big oil is funding wind energy in OK…
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